Colossians
Chapter 3
So then, if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
Set your mind on the things above, not on earthly things.
For you have died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ, who is your life, appears, you also will appear with him in glory.
Christian Praxis
Therefore, eliminate what is earthly in your life, such as immorality, impurity, inordinate passions, wicked desires, and greed, which is a form of idol worship. Christian Praxis
These are the things that provoke God’s anger.
For a time, you followed this way and lived in disorder.
Well then, reject all of that: anger, evil intentions, malice; and let no abusive words come from your lips
Do not lie to one another. You have been stripped of the old self and its way of thinking;
to put on the new self, which is being renewed and aims to reach perfect knowledge and the likeness of its Creator.
There is no distinction between Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, foreigner, slave or free—for Christ is all and in all.
Clothe yourselves, then, as is fitting for God’s chosen people, holy and beloved by him. Put on compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience
to bear with one another and forgive whenever there is an opportunity. As the Lord has forgiven you, forgive one another.
Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
May the peace of Christ overflow in your hearts; for this purpose, you were called to be one body. And be thankful.
Let the word of God dwell in you richly. Teach and admonish one another with wisdom. With thankful hearts, sing psalms, hymns, and spontaneous praise to God
And whatever you do or say, do it in the Name of Jesus the Lord, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Family and social responsibilities
Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is proper in the Lord.
Husbands, love your wives and do not become angry with them.
Children, obey your parents in everything, because that pleases the Lord.
Parents, do not be too harsh on your children, or they may become discouraged.
Servants, obey your masters in everything—not only when they are watching to please them, but sincerely, out of respect for the Lord.
Whatever you do, work at it wholeheartedly, as if working for the Lord rather than for people
Remember that the Lord will reward you with the inheritance. You are servants, but your true Master is Christ.
Anyone who does wrong will be paid back for their actions, because God shows no favoritism.
Commentaries
New Life in Christ.
Paul explains what forms “the sustenance and cohesion” that originates from Christ, the head of the Church. If Christians have died with Christ through baptism, they will rise with him into a new reality that must be lived here and now (3:4). Being already dead and risen with Christ should turn believers into people firmly grounded in society, ready to change it through their commitment and witness. In other words, their task is to make “present” in this world the “future of the new humanity” that God has planned for us in Christ. This is possible because the Lord, who died and rose again, has already overcome the limits of space and time, and he is the same one waiting for us in glory, “seated at the right hand of God” (3:1). That’s why he urges the Colossians to “seek the things that are above” (3:1), not to escape from the tasks “down here,” but so that what they long for and pursue can become a reality through truly Christian actions.
Christian Praxis.
Truly Christian behavior results from a radical transformation (cf. Eph 4:24) that impacts the believer both personally and socially; it involves shedding the old self and adopting a new way of being and living in the world. This ongoing shedding requires seriousness and commitment—an attitude Paul alludes to with the phrase “put to death worldly things from your life” (5). He then addresses the sins that harm the harmony of relationships: “anger, passion, malice… falsehood” (8f). All of these belong to the old condition, to the old self (cf. Rom 6:6).
Conversely, adopting the new condition, which is the same as putting on Christ (cf. Rom 13:12, 14; Gal 3:27), primarily means entering into the movement of a new creation where men and women are being renewed “in the image of their Creator” (10). Paul reflects the biblical tradition that, in the new times—the eschatological times—a return to the peace and harmony of paradise is anticipated (cf. Is 11:6-9). And if being “the image of God” gives true dignity to every human being, then all barriers that divide and discriminate must vanish: “There is no distinction between Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, foreigner, slave or free—for Christ is all and in all” (11).
Family and Social Duties.
These family recommendations appear in many epistolary writings of the New Testament, as if they constituted a “literary genre” used to carefully close the letters (cf. Eph 5:22-6:9; 1 Pet 2:13-3:12; 1 Tim 2:8-15; 5:3-8; Tit 2:1-10). Their purpose may be apologetic, meaning to reassure pagans who suspected that Christianity was disrupting the harmony of relationships between wives and husbands, children and parents, masters and slaves, within the “domestic household” or family of the time. Paul’s advice is ambivalent. On one hand, he is influenced by the patriarchal and sexist culture and prejudices of his era, as well as the institution of slavery. Still, on the other hand, he clearly emphasizes the principle that should guide all domestic relationships: “as is pleasing to the Lord” (3:20), “as serving the Lord” (3:23), “ you serve the Lord Christ” (3:24), “you also have a Master in heaven” (4:1). This is the core message of the Apostle, which will gradually diminish all inequality and subjugation, both at home and in society, beyond what he or we can initially envision.